Groups call for scrapping of Public Order Act

A number of anti-globalisation and other protesters have called for the scrapping of the Public Order Act (POA), saying that it is "wide open to abuse".

The POA is being misused on an on-going basis and basic civil liberties are being flouted every day of the week. Ms Grace Lally

Members of Globalise Resistance, Reclaim The Streets, The Irish Council of Civil Liberties and Indymedia gathered today to announce that there would be a demonstration at the Central Bank in Dublin on Saturday, July 6th under the banner of ‘

Defend Civil Liberties - Scrap The Public Order Act

’.

Speaking at the press conference, Ms Grace Lally, a protester who was arrested at the Globalise Resistance protest at a Public-Private Partnership summit in Dublin last October, said that the POA is "being misused on an on-going basis" and that basic civil liberties "are being flouted every day of the week".

She is facing trial on July 10th on charges relating to that arrest.

Similar charges brought against Mr Rory Hearne, who was arrested on the same night, have already been thrown out at Dublin District Court. In dismissing the case against Mr Hearne, Judge Haughton, presiding, said that most of the evidence he had heard from the prosecution had been "totally and utterly unconnected to that arrest".

Mr Donal McFhearraigh, an anti-war protestor who is facing trial on June 12th, called for charges against all protestors awaiting trial to be dropped.

Mr Wolfe Fishbourne, a journalist with the Indymedia organisation, said that "the Public Order Act is a disturbing attack on civil liberties" and that in Ireland now "there is a worrying culture of oppression".

He also called on the Minister for Justice to stop using the POA "for political gain".

Mr Kieran O’Reilly of the Reclaim The Streets group criticised yesterday’s announcement that a retired Garda assistant commissioner has been appointed as ‘independent’ inspector of May Day complaints from the public.

He said the timing was "very tactical" on a day that the news was dominated by Ireland’s World Cup game against Germany. He also questioned the fact that a former Garda would be investigating serving Gardaí.

Mr Liam Herrick, of the Irish Council of Civil Liberties, said his organisation cautioned in 1994 that the POA could be used against trade unionists and that this was borne out last week when it was used against Car Clampers on an unofficial strike.

He said: "In the last number of years there has been a very worrying erosion of civil liberties".